Principal Software Engineer - Social Systems & Identity

Every day, tens of millions of people come to Roblox to explore, create, play, and connect across 3D immersive digital experiences.

As a Principal Software Engineer on the User Connections team, you will serve as the primary tech lead defining the backend systems that power Roblox's global social ecosystem—including Friending, Identity & Expression (Profiles), Online Presence, Names, and Co-Play tools. In this high-impact leadership role, you will architect large-scale, fault-tolerant distributed services using compiled languages like C#, Java, or C++, driving company-level objectives for user engagement and building zero-to-one social features used by hundreds of millions of daily users.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership: Serve as the Tech Lead for the User Connections engineering organization, setting technical vision, establishing architecture standards, and guiding product roadmaps.
• Distributed Backend Architecture: Design, implement, and operate highly available, fault-tolerant backend microservices supporting hundreds of millions of global users.
• Social Product Suite: Own critical consumer-facing features including user profiles, names, social graphs, real-time online presence, and co-play discovery tools.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Engineering, Product Management, and Design leaders to define platform capabilities that enable users to express their identities and connect on Roblox.
• Engineering Mentorship: Mentor, coach, and uplevel backend engineers across the organization, facilitating complex technical decision-making.

Requirements

Distributed Systems & Languages

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience designing, building, and operating high-availability, fault-tolerant distributed services in production environments.
• Extensive knowledge of server-side architecture and system design principles using compiled languages such as C#, Java, C++, or equivalent.
• Proven track record acting as a Technical Lead, guiding multi-team technical decisions and architectural reviews.

Education & Work Logistics

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• Ability to work onsite 3 days per week (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays) at Roblox HQ in San Mateo, CA.
• Note: Roblox may not be able to support certain visa categories or future H-1B sponsorship for this position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct domain experience building social networks, identity platforms, real-time messaging, or multiplayer co-play infrastructure.
• Proven ability to operate as a "product owner" engineer—championing system changes that directly align with consumer user experience needs.

Total Rewards & Workplace Benefits

• Compensation: Base salary of $295,250 – $345,040 USD + comprehensive long-term equity grant package.
• Healthcare & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage options; mental health resources and wellness stipends.
• Financial Security: 401(k) program with company matching; life and disability insurance.
• Time Off & Work Culture: Generous PTO policies, observed holidays, and hybrid workplace flexibility.